Tire retreading mold



June 11, 1935. 1'. E. ROGERS 2,004,800

TIRE RETREADING MOLDv Y Filed Jne 26h-1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 June ll, 1935. T. E. ROGERS v 2,004,800

TIRE RETREADING- MOLD Filed June 2s, '1933 i 2 sheets-sheet 2 60 2 5 7 l 7 il l 7575 l 7 12, l 7g 15 44 4 *f l 'i 22- 2,

494 I Je J l l z5 .51

INVENTOR:

ATT EY Patented June 11, 1935 TIRE vRETREADINGr MOLD -Thomas E. Rogers, Los

Angeles, Calif., assignor .to Arch B. Cleveland and AJames E; Belden,

jointly, both of Los Angeles, Calif.

. lApplication AJune .126,11933, Serial N0. 677,631

1 Claim.

.'Ihis inventionrelatesto moldsfor retreading tiresior motor vehicles, and` aprimary object is to provide a'moldhaving incorporated therein cold *platesV thru which" water may be circulated ina molding operation for use in connection with the matrices, wherebyvfhenthe tread `is being applied to the mold under heatthe side Walls of the tire casing will not be subjectedfto lthe heat of the mold. andthe resultantbreaking down `or injury thereto.

kvAnother.object is to provide atire retreading mold formed with a pair of separable members and a hinge.. for vconnecting the mold members in such axmanner that thel axis of the hinge may be vadjustedto. correspondfto the spacing of the two'mold members sothatl at the completionof aretreading operation'the mold may be more readily opened andone 'ofthe moldflmembers moved away from the tire within the mold and the other mold member. 1 Y v Another object isv to provide means on the periphery of the twofmold members whereby in amold closing operation the .movable 1 member mayy be guided into Vexact alinement with the stationary member. 4 i

A furtherobject' includes the provision on th stationaryand movable members of` selectively operabl'eejecting .devices for engagementwith theftireLorthe rim on which the tire' is mounted for optionally. stripping the tire-- from the stationary orfmovablev mold member as the mold is opened.

In the consideration of my invention it will be understood that in -a tire retreading: operation a tire 'is inated on a rim and theninsertedinV a mold provided with matrices .bearingtthe desired design of treadand heated by Jsteam for the purpose of curing the tread on the tire. Such an operation, While effective for permanently applying' a vtread to a used tire, rhasthe vdisadvantage in ordinary types of molds `vof impaing the appearance of the side walls of `,thetire' inwardly `of the tread where no additional;rubber is applied. Thus a treading operationfrequently resultsin ythe blurringv or removal ofy marks, names, numbers, etc., Vusually embossedonthe sidewalls of a tire., whereas by thenprovision of my improved cold platethru which water is circulated during Ya treading operationxthe yside Walls of the tire are maintained at a ,relatively lovv temperature asvcomparedntothe necessary temperature for curing the rubber ofthe tread, and injuryl to the side walls is prevented. l AHmold-'forthe purpose of retreadingtires is psually "composed ,ofy V st altionbly and movable members of ,similar cross section spliton a median line and .hinged together `at points on the periphery of the mold` halves. Usually such hinges `are, xed, and due to this fact separate molds are required for tires of different cross sectional area but of substantially similardiameter. In my improved mold I have provided an adjustable hinge whereby the movable mold member may be spaced from the stationary member by means of the interposition' of a spacer forthe purpose of accommodating` the mold to tires of different cross sectional diameter and for the further-purpose of adjusting the axis of the hinge toan extent suflicient to permit the readyopening vof the mold andthe movement of thel movable member away from the tire Vin an opening operation.

I have shown a preferred form of my invention in the accompanying drawings, in which Fig 1 is a `plan view of a mold embodying my improvements, partly in section at different points to illustrate details of construction.

'Fig. 2is a side elevation thereof.

Fig. 3 is a rear elevation of the hinge connect'- ing the stationary and movable mold members.

Fig. 4 isa fragmentary section of the mold on line 4, 4 of Fig. 1 showing details of the. hing structure. g

Fig. 5 is a sectional elevation of the moldon line 5--5 of Fig. 1.` l 30 Fig. 6 is a sectional plan of a cold plate, one of which is adapted to be used in each section of the'mold. n

Fig. .'7 is a fragmentary front elevation of 1 the mold'showingv means on the two mold sections for guiding the movable section of the mold into ,accurate alinement with the ystationary section in a mold closing operation.

Figs. 8 and 9 are, respectively, fragmentary elevations of ejecting devices of similar character mounted on the movable and stationary mold sections for engagement with a` tire or a tire rim for stripping the mold fromrone of said sections as the mold is opened, as seen -on line 5, 5 of Fig. 1. n l

Briefly described, my improved mold includes la stationary mold section I, a lmovable mold section'2, an adjustable-hinge device 3 for connecting said sections together, cold plates 4, 4 detachably held in the sections Iand 2, matrices 5., 5 also detachably held in the rsections I and 2 -and carrying a design for the treads, arnold alining device vforguidingthe movable mold section into accurate Valinement with the stationary section, and ejectors 1, l carried'by the their upper ends attached to the lower side I 0 of Similar iioor" the stationary mold section I. ilanges II, are attached to the lower ends of the legs 8 and are adapted torest upon the surface of a iloor for supporting the moldV in operative position at a suitable elevation.

The two halves I and 2 of the mold are correspondingly nished at I2, I2- for receivingthe half sections 5, 5 of the tread matrices, `and said matrices are secured to the mold sections by' means of a plurality of screws I3, I3, as shown in Fig. 5, which are arranged at suitable points therearound. The matrix sections'5, 5 may be held with their adjacent faces in abutment, as shown in Fig. 5, or, as shown in Fig. 4, a spacer I4 may be interposed between the adjacent faces of theY matrices and secured to the stationary mold section I by means of a plurality of screws Adjacent the inner edges of the matrices 5 I provide in each of the mold sections I and 2 a hollow cold plate 4 of annular form. The cold plate in the stationary mold section is loosely held on the side wall IDvof the mold section and a similar plate is`correspondingly mounted in the movable section 2 againstthe side wall I6 thereof and is detachably held in position on said movable section byl means of a pair or more of screws I 'I. (See Fig. 5.) Thus the cross sectional area of the matrices l5 is such as to encompass only the tread portion of a tire 'I' while the inner faces of the opposite cold plates 4 engage the side walls of the tire inwardly ofV the tread.

To this end the inner walls I8 of the cold plates 4 yare of concave cross section so as to conform to the curvature of the side walls of a tire T. The cold plates 4 are provided witha chamber I9 which has an inlet 20 and an outlet 2| in its inner wall 22, and a partition 4 is arranged between said inlet and said outlet, as shown in Fig. 6. The inlets 20, 28 of the two cold plates 4, 4 are connected by means of branch pipes 23 and 24 respectively with a Water service vpipe 25 leading from a source of'supply. Similarly the outlets 2|, 2| from the cold plates are connected by means of branch pipes 26 and 2`I with a pipe 21 serving as a return to a source of supply or to a so-urce of discharge, whereby water may be'circulated continuously thru the chambers I9 of the cold plates during a retreading operation.

Necessarily the pipes 23 and 26 leading to the upper cold plate 4 in the section 2 are ofy ilexible character so as to permitthe opening and closing of the mold. v

vAt corresponding points on the periphery of the mold sections land 2, bosses 28 and 29 are formed respectively, to which are attached hinge brackets 30 and 3| by means of bolts 32, 32 etc. The bracket 30 on the member Iis formed'wth a pair of laterally spaced` bosses 33 arranged on op-' posite sides of a longitudinal center line cutting the axis of the mold. `Said bosses have vertical bores 34 therein in which are held sleeves 35 'ing the heads of the bolts3I. are held in the lugs 39, 39 and extend thru the provided on their upper ends with wrench receiving heads 36 of hexagonal or'other suitable form.

The sleeves are internally threaded to receive eye boltsv 31 which are threaded thru and extend substantially below the sleeves and carry lock nuts 38,011 their lower ends. The bracket 3| on the movable mold member 2 is formed with a pair of lugs 39, 39 which are spaced to correspond to thebosses 33 on brackets 30 and are recessed at 40, 40 to receive the eyes 4| form- Hinge rods 42 eyes 4|, 4Iof bolts 31, 31, respectively, for hingedly connecting the mold sections I and 2.

It is apparent that by applying a wrench to the portion 36 of sleeve 35 and loosening nut 38`the axis Vof theV hinge may be adjusted rel-` ative to the upper face of mold section I to correspond to the width of or to accommodate the mold to the absence of the spacer I4. (See Figs. 4.) Preferably in a mold of this type the axis of the hinge 42 should be slightly above or at least substantially on a line with the upper edge of the spacer I4 so that the mold section 2 in an opening operation will tend to move away from the tread of the tire T at the close of a retreading operation rather than tor frictionally engage the tire and ,retard the opening of the mold.

The mold sections I and 2 are provided with steam chambers 43 and 44 thru which steam fromy a boiler or source of Asupply may be circulated for the purpose of heating the molds in atread curing operation. Said chambers have inlets 45 and 46, respectively, with elbows or short pipe sections and 48 leading therefrom and connected `by means` of a flexible tube 49 asshown in Fig. 2. The elbow or pipe 4'I leading from mold section Iconnects by means of a pipe 50 with a source of supply. Similarly the chambers 43 and 44 in the sections I and 2, respectively, are provided with outlets 5I and 52 with elbows 53 and 54 connected therewith and inter-connected by means of a flexible tube 55, while theelbow 53 is connected with a return steam pipe 56 leading back to the boiler.

Preferably, as shown in Fig. 5, the entire mold is tilted slightly to the right so that the products ofcondensation may be drained outwardly lthru the member 53. A check valve 5'I is interposed in the pipe 56 so that the steam pressure in the mold vmay be at all times balanced with the pressure in the boiler or at the source of. supply. Said valve prevents the ilow of steam to the mold `thru the valve and pipe 56, but is capable of being operated when the pressure in the mold is in excess of that of the source of supply. j

At a plurality of points on the peripheryv of `the mold sections I and 2 I provide correspondingly formed and positioned lugs 58,58 etc., with 'radially formed slots 59, 59 etc., from the axis of the mold. `In the lugs 58 of mold member I I hingedly mount locking bars 6|) on bolts 6| with ends of the bars disposed in the slots 59 of said lugs. Said bars have threaded extensions 62 on their opposite ends and carry nuts 83 threaded thereon. Thus, when the molds are closed the bars may be swung upwardly from their positions shown in Fig. 2 so that the bodies of the bars will seat in the slots 59 of the lugs 58 on the movable mold sectionr 2 andthe nuts 63 may be tightenedv against the upper faces of the lugs 58`on said-member 2 for locking the mold sections together. Preferably, the two rear locking bars 60, as shown in Fig. 2, are formed at their inner ends so as to retain them in inclined positions when they are detached from the mold member 2 and prevent them from dropping into the positions assumed by the two front locking members, as shown in Fig. 2. Said bars are so formed particularly to prevent interference with the flexible pipes 49 and 55 and to facilitate the opening and closing operations.

The front of the mold section I is provided with a lug 64 having a vertical groove 65 formed in its outer face in which is held a guide bar 66, as by means of screws 61. A corresponding groove E8 is formed on the mold member I in alinement with the lug 64 and is provided with a vertical groove 69 in alinement with the groove 65 for receiving the protruding lower end III of the guide bar 66 carried by the movable mold section. Preferably the end 16 of bar 66 is chamfered so that as the mold section 2 approaches mold closing position with respect to mold section I the chamfered end of the bar will first engage the edges of the groove 69 and guide the bar into said groove so that the two mold sections will be accurately alined with the matrices in retreading position relative to the tire T.

The lug G4 on mold section 2 is preferably provided with a clevis 1I which has its opposite legs 12, 12 hingedly held on said lug by means of a bolt or screw 13 held in said lug. The clevis 1I is adapted to receive a hook 14 associated with a fall or a tackle by means of which the movable mold section 2 may be raised or lowered in mold opening and closing operations.

As hereinbefore stated, the ejectors 1 are effective for stripping the tire T from the mold in a mold opening operation so that a tire may be stripped from the stationary section I and retained in the movable section 2, or it may be retained in the section l and stripped from the movable section 2, as may be desired. To this end the two ejectors 1, 1 are similar in form but are reversely positioned on the mold.

Each of said ejectors 1 is loosely mounted on a pair of spaced bars 15, 15 which extend diametrically across the bottom of the stationary mold section I and the top of the movable section 2. In each case the ejector supporting bars are permanently spaced apart by means of suitable spacers 16, 15 near their ends and are secured at their extremities to the mold sections I and 2 by means of cap screws 11 and washers 18 interposed between the heads of the screws and the outer edges of the bars. The bars 15, 15 in each case are spaced apart so that the associated ejector 1 will be loosely held therebetween.

The ejectors 1, 1 are each provided with a plurality of perforations 19, 19 for selectively receiving a pin 89, said pin engaging the upper edges of the uppermost set of bars 15 and the lower edges of the lowermost set of bars so as to limit the downward and upward thrust, respectively, of the ejectors. The upper ejector is provided at its lower end and the lower ejector at its upper end with a hook 8I which is adapted to engage the edge of a metal rim 82 on which the tire T is mounted.

The perforations 19 in the ejector bars are spaced apart longitudinally of the bars so that the pins 80 therein may be adjusted for the purpose of engaging the hooks 8| with the upper or lower edge of the rim R for a given size of tire. Thus,

as shown in Fig. 2, if it is desired to strip the tire T from the stationary mold section I and to retain it in the movable section 2, the uppermost ejector 1 is dropped downwardly so that the hook 8| thereon engages the lower edge of the rim R and the upward movement of the mold section I will strip the tire from the lower mold section.

On the other hand, if the tire is to be retained in the lower section of the mold the lowermost ejector 1 is engaged with the upper edge of rim R and the separation of the mold section 2 from the section I will strip the tire from the movable mold section.

The lowermost ejector 1 is inoperatively held on the bars 15, 15 by means of an additional pin 80 engaging the upper edges of the lowermost set of bars 15, as shown in Fig. 9.

Each of the mold sections I and r2 may be provided with a pressure relief cock 82 at a suitable point for relieving excess pressure therein.

The mold is operated as follows: A tire T properly inilated on a rim R is positioned centrally in the stationary mold member I, together with the material for the tread to be applied and the matrices 5. The mold is then closed by gradually moving the movable member 2 downwardly in the direction of the stationary mold member. The alining bar 65 serves to accurately aline the two mold members in the closing operation, and a spacer I4 of desired width, corresponding usually tothe width of a central rib on a tire tread, having been aixed to the stationary member I when the mold is closed, the tire T is closely held between and is completely embraced by the two mold members I and 2.

The cold plates 4, 4 engage corresponding sides of the tire, as shown in Fig. 5. Steam is c irculated thru the chambers 43 and 44 of the two mold members, and water is circulated thru the two cold plates 4, 4, whereby the material of which the tread is formed and the tread receiving portion of the tire is heated to a proper temperature, while the side walls of the tire are kept cool by means of the cold water circulating thru the plates 4, 4.

The mold members I and 2 are held in closed position by means of the plurality of locking bars 6D. When the spacer I4 is adjusted in the mold member I the axis 4I of the hinge 3 is elevated to a point substantially flush with or slightly above the upper edge of the spacer. Thus at the completion of a molding operation the locking bars 30 are detached from the mold member 2 and the movable member 2 may be quickly separated from the tire T and from the adjacent member I.

The ejectors 1 are selectively adjusted for stripping the tire T from either ofthe members `I or 2, as may be desired.

The advantages of my improvements will be appreciated by those skilled in the art of retreading tires.

What I claim is:

A tire mold comprising a pair of separable mold sections with a cavity therein for receiving a tire, and ejecting devices supported on opposite sides of said mold sections and extensible into the planes of the adjacent mold sections for engagement with a portion of a tire whereby when the mold is opened the tire will be retained in a selected one and stripped from the other mold section.

THOMAS E. ROGERS. 

